This comes after several law enforcement agencies told Westpac they could also bring criminal charges against the alleged fraudster.
If Mr Papas were extradited to Australia to face the contempt of court charge, extradition law prevents Australian law enforcement agencies from prosecuting him for separate crimes.
Alleged fraudster Bill Papas in Greece. Credit: 60 Minutes.
“I have been deprived of the opportunity to fund any meaningful engagement with federal proceedings commenced by a well-resourced financial institution,” Mr Papas said through defamation lawyer, Rebekah Giles.
An Adelaide court heard on Wednesday that Theodore Christopoulos allegedly kicked his pregnant partner in the stomach while wearing steel cap boots with intent to kill her unborn baby, The Advertiser reports.
According to the newspaper, Mr Christopoulos was charged with administering poison on another person to procure miscarriage, aggravated causing harm with intent and two counts of aggravated assault.
The 48-year-old contests the allegations made against him.
Mr Christopoulos was granted home detention bail on Monday by Magistrate Paul Bennett.
Under the bail conditions, he will be living at a close family friend’s home in Lewiston and cannot make contact with the alleged victim or come within one kilometre of her home.
Mr Christopoulos will face the Adelaide Magistrates Court in May.
Under South Australian law, the charge relating to procuring a miscarriage can carry with it a term of life imprisonment if proven.
*UPDATED ON THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2022:
Theodore Christopoulos has had all charges against him dropped during a court date in May. Full article can be found here.
Greek Eurovision hopeful, Amanda Georgiadi Tenfjord, has released her Eurovision entry ‘Die Together’ today.
‘Die Together’ premiered on Greek broadcaster ERT’s show Studio 4 and featured an official music video which was filmed on the Greek island of Simi.
The song was composed by Tenjford and Bjorn Helgen, and is an atmospheric ballad about a dying relationship.
Who is Amanda Tenfjord?
Tenfjord — real name Amanda Georgiadis — is half Norwegian and half Greek.
Born in Ioannina in Greece, when Tendjord was three years old her family moved to the small town of Tenfjord in Norway, where her artistic surname comes from.
There, at the age of 5, Amanda began piano lessons and became an amateur musician, writing her first songs as a teenager.
Amanda Tenfjord.
At the age of 18, she entered medical school without giving up her love for music by participating in many festivals in her country.
She mixes modern pop, folk, electronic and ambient in magical ways, delivering something distinctly polished with Nordic flair. You can hear that clearly on her debut EPFirst Impression, which showcases her raw talent in a beautiful way.
The 24-year-old was internally selected by broadcaster ERT to represent Greece at Eurovision 2022 after beating five other finalists.
Leaders of the European Union met at an informal summit in Versailles on Thursday in the shadow of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the surge in energy costs in Europe.
Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was among those in attendance and expressed his disgust for the Russian attack on a maternity hospital in Mariupol and demanded an immediate ceasefire.
The Prime Minister also called for a common European response to the surge in energy costs, referring to his 6-point proposal for the wholesale price of natural gas.
Mitsotakis arrives at Versailles and meets with French President Emmanuel Macron.
“A European response is needed to protect consumers, businesses and farmers from fluctuations in gas prices and consequently electricity, which are not dictated by the rules of supply and demand but are the result solely of speculation in the natural gas market,” Mitsotakis said at the summit.
His proposed plan includes a price cap on title transfer facility (Europe’s regional gas benchmark), and daily price guardrails to limit volatility on the fluctuation band on TTF.
“This is not only an attack on Ukraine. This is an attack on people’s freedom to choose their own destiny. The very principle our Union is based on. We must show the power of our democracies,” von de Leyen said.
Greece, Poland and refugee resettlement:
This EU summit came as Greek Migration and Asylum Minister, Notis Mitarakis, stated on Thursday that Greece will send buses or airplanes to Poland to voluntarily accept and resettle refugees from Ukraine after an appeal by the Polish government.
"Η Πολωνία μας ζήτησε εχθές βοήθεια. Θα στείλουμε κάποια αεροσκάφη ή λεωφορεία να πάρουμε κόσμο από την Πολωνία προς την Ελλάδα, γιατί η Πολωνία πλέον φιλοξενεί πάνω από 1,3 εκατομμύρια ανθρώπους."
— Νότης Μηταράκης – Notis Mitarachi (@nmitarakis) March 10, 2022
The Minister stressed that any move will not be compulsory but voluntary.
Mitarakis also revealed that Greece can accept approximately 30,000 Ukrainian refugees and pointed out that if there are more refugees, Greece could apply for emergency EU funding to cover the costs.
So far, over 7,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Greece since the start of the Russian invasion.
Greek taxi licence owners are making waves across Sydney with their demands to receive fair compensation in response to new industry reforms announced by the NSW Government.
Many are visiting their local MPs and encouraging them to sign the NSW Taxi Council’s ‘NSW Taxi Industry Pledge,’ which supports fair and proper compensation for all taxi licence owners, the continuation of the Passenger Service Levy, and a viable, regulated and reliable taxi industry.
So far, this collective effort has seen 57 MPs from across the political spectrum putting their name to the pledge.
In the NSW Lower House (the NSW Legislative Assembly), the pledge has been supported by many MPs from the Labor Party, the Independents, the Greens, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, as well as six members of Government (Liberal and the National Party).
There’s also cross-party support in the NSW Upper House, with MPs from the Labor Party, Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party, The Greens, One Nation and the Christian Democratic Party signing the pledge.
Among these signatories are three MPs of Greek heritage including, the NSW Shadow Minister for Small Business, Property and Multiculturalism, Steve Kamper; the NSW Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations, Work Health and Safety, Sophie Cotsis; and the National Party Member for Clarence, Christopher Gulaptis.
Steve Kamper, who has been campaigning for proper compensation for the taxi industry for years, told The Greek Herald in January that he decided to sign the pledge because ‘enough is enough.’
“We’re seeking cross-party support to send a message. Taxi plate owners have been waiting for nearly six years now to be compensated for the damage that was incurred to them. Enough is enough. It’s time now for the NSW Government to sort this out,” Mr Kamper said.
NSW Transport Minister: ‘The Government has your back’
As has been reported by The Greek Herald, Transport for NSW held a number of webinars with taxi licence owners, where they announced their plans to remove the limit on the number of taxi licences and remove restrictions on areas where taxis can operate.
In September 2021, Transport for NSW said taxi licence owners could potentially be compensated for these reforms by being given $50,000 for each licence, but it will be capped at two licences. Anything over that will not be compensated, amounting in huge losses for many Greeks who initially paid around $400,000 for a licence.
Since then, there have been a number of significant updates.
In response to the Greek community’s efforts and political support behind the taxi pledge as evident above, the NSW Government have decided to drop the two licences cap which was announced as part of the reforms.
The NSW Minister for Transport, David Elliott, has also had a brief meeting with the NSW Taxi Council to hear its concerns about the reforms, and later spoke about the issue during Budget Estimates in Parliament on Friday, March 4.
During his address, Minister Elliott acknowledged the hardships currently felt by taxi licence owners in NSW and said he believes their concerns are ‘legitimate.’
“I am very conscious of the fact that they [taxi licence owners], through no fault of their own, have lost the value of a business and, in many respects, tragically, that includes the life savings of families,” Minister Elliott said.
“I do not want to see people finishing their working life as taxi drivers unnecessarily burdened by the financial implications of point-to-point of Uber, and I want to make sure that they know that the Government has got their back.
“I want to make sure that those taxi drivers who have put their life earnings and their working life into an asset which has now been devalued are compensated.”
‘We need a voice’:
Hearing this will come as a relief to people such as Helen and Theo Balafas, who own two taxi licences.
Helen and her husband bought their taxi licences years ago for roughly $300,000 each, but she says that since the introduction of rideshare services into the market they are now ‘essentially worthless.’
“We invested money to buy these plates, we invested in our home based on the income that we were having from these taxis and you know, they were obviously meant to be securing our future,” Helen tells The Greek Herald.
“So it’s very difficult now. We don’t really know what we should do. We don’t know whether we should downsize our home or if we should wait for the government to come up with a compensation plan. We’re just in limbo.”
Helen does admit however, that the growing support from politicians is a step in the right direction towards fair compensation.
“I think it’s great that some politicians are getting behind it [the pledge] because that’s what we need,” she concludes. “We need a voice.”
The White Pearl Foundation will hold its fourth annual Breakfast for Brain Cancer event this year on Friday, March 18 at the Royal Motor Yacht Club in Point Piper.
TBCG is focused on improving outcomes for brain cancer patients across the spectrum – from care to finding a cure for this devastating disease. They achieve this by taking a multi-disciplinary approach to delivering meaningful programmes aimed at improving the lives of brain cancer patients.
The founder of the White Pearl Foundation, Suzane Peponis-Brisimis, tells The Greek Herald that “raising awareness of the challenges faced by brain cancer patients, the low survival rates and the need to get behind research is of utmost importance, as are funds for research.”
“All proceeds raised at the brunch will go directly to brain cancer research,” Ms Peponis-Brisimis adds.
“We must advocate for brain cancer patients and their families who face a tough journey, if there is to be any hope of improved brain cancer survival rates.”
On the day of the brunch, patient and TBCG Ambassador, Matthew McCarron, will be the keynote speaker and will share his story about his brain cancer journey, as well as a personal family story.
Last year’s Breakfast for Brain Cancer event.
Associate Professor Michael Back, Radiation Oncologist and Director of TBCG, will also update attendees on how the organisation’s programmes are progressing, with a focus on the ever-expanding TBCG Databank.
Ms Peponis-Brisimis says she’s looking forward to the event and is “very grateful for the strong response we have had to the brunch and to our prize donors for some very generous donations.”
“We sincerely thank all who continue to support the White Pearl Foundation,” she says.
“From our loyal attendees to our guest speaker, our prize donors, our volunteers, our media sponsor, The Greek Herald, and our Communications Sponsor, Orama Communications, and many other donors listed on our website, we couldn’t do it without your help.”
Event Details:
Where: Royal Motor Yacht Club, Wunulla Road, Point Piper.
When: Friday, March 18
Time: 10.30am -1.30pm.
Bookings and donations can also be made via the White Pearl Foundation’s website and for any enquiries, please contact Suzane on 0418 238723.
*The Greek Herald is a proud media sponsor of this event.
The Greek Festival of Sydney’s Melina Aslanidou concert on March 16 has been moved from the Factory Theatre in Marrickville to Sydney’s Enmore Theatre due to popular demand.
This is the second event from the Festival’s program of events that has had to be moved to the Enmore Theatre to accomodate the public’s demand for tickets.
“We wanted to provide the opportunity for as much of the public to have access to what will be an unmissable performance.”
Melina Aslanidou first performed in Sydney with George Dalaras in 2002. This will be her first time performing solo in Sydney in what is sure to be the concert of the season.
One of Greece’s most loved singers, Melina is known for her “entehna” music that combines orchestral elements with folk and pop sounds. Audiences can expect a musical program full of folk, artistic and traditional melodies.
Federal Shadow Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, has tabled an official motion in the Australian Parliament calling for the Parthenon Marbles to be returned to their rightful home in Greece.
The motion was seconded by Greek Australian Labor MPs, Maria Vamvakinou and Steve Georganas, and calls on the Australian Government to join the growing number of nations that are now supporting this repatriation campaign.
Speaking to The Greek Herald, Ms Vamvakinou says joining the campaign is of benefit not only to local Greeks, but to the wider Australian community as well.
“This motion reflects our long history of advocacy for the return of the Parthenon Marbles. Over the last 20 years, we’ve established civil society committees alongside federal parliamentary friendship groups advocating for their return,” Ms Vamvakinou says.
The Parthenon Marbles. Photo: Getty Images.
“The issue of the Parthenon Marbles is really one where culture, arts and politics meet. It’s important not only to Australia’s large Greek diaspora, but also carries particular significance among Philhellenes across society.
“We’ve seen its impact on cultural heritage and sense of identity play out not only from within the Greek community, but also through its influence on the increasingly growing voices also calling for the return of objects and human remains stolen from Australia.”
Australia has long advocated for the return of stolen objects and human remains from our country which are held overseas. It is in our national interest that we uphold that same principle on behalf of other nations as well.
A man who attacked former Cumberland Mayor Steve Christou outside a polling booth at Merrylands on council election day has avoided a conviction,The Daily Telegraph reports.
Khayam Ali, 29, attended Fairfield Court on Wednesday after he pleaded guilty to the assault on Cr Christou.
The incident took place when Ali became infuriated by claims from a younger relative the mayor had threatened to snatch him away at the Merrylands Public School polling station on Fowler Rd.
Fresh police documents tendered to the court reveal the boy, who was a Labor volunteer, told police Christou, who is an Our Local Community councillor, had been bullying him for three days when they were campaigning at the Holroyd Centre polling booth at Merrylands and on election day.
Cr Christou declined a voluntary police interview but denied any wrongdoing and he was not charged.
At the time of the assault in December 2021, Cr Christou told The Greek Herald the incident was “very disappointing.”
By Georgia Pandelios, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Owner at Nutrition Prescription.
Food allergy is a serious medical condition that is life-long, but what if we could prevent our children from getting them? Is it even possible?
The answer is yes. The latest research highlights the importance of the maternal diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and it’s usefulness as a tool in reducing the risk of babies developing allergies. The theory behind this has to do firstly with desensitisation to allergens and secondly, with supporting the developing immune system of the baby whilst in-utero.
Summed up, these 3 tips are key in allergy prevention during pregnancy:
First, start with desensitisation. Regularly include common food allergens in your pregnancy diet to expose your baby whilst in the womb. These are tree nuts, peanuts, cooked egg, cow’s milk, soy, wheat, fish and seafood. Note: do not include any allergens / foods that you personally are allergic to.
Secondly, feed your gut right. Over the last few years we have been learning more and more about the complex relationship our gut microbiota has on our health, particularly on our immune system. There are two things we can do to help our gut bacteria thrive – include probiotics and enjoy a variety of prebiotics. Probiotics are those microorganisms found in yoghurt and in supplement form, whilst prebiotics refer to the fibre and resistant starches that the probiotics feed off. Particularly during the final trimester, specific probiotic supplements may reduce the risk of infant and childhood allergies.
Thirdly, vitamin D. This is something I personally researched during my university thesis in paediatric nut allergies. Vitamin D plays a vital role in immune development. We can get this from the sun and vitamin supplements. During pregnancy, particularly in a post pandemic world, we may be having less sun exposure – which puts maternal vitamin D levels at risk of deficiency. The research highlights associations between low levels of vitamin D during pregnancy (usually winter gestations being higher risk) and the likelihood of having a baby with a food allergy. Getting the right amount of vitamin D is key, as other research has reported excess vitamin D may also increase the risk.
Remember to not take any supplements (vitamins, minerals or other) without first consulting with your doctor or maternal health dietitian.
Your breastmilk will be another tool that can support food allergy prevention. After the birth, if you are breastfeeding, continue these same practices.
When introducing solids, although the guidelines for the general population state to introduce solids around 6 months of age, when you have a family history of food allergies and signs of readiness for solids are there, your paediatrician, GP or dietitian may suggest you start slightly earlier (but not before 4 months), in line with the infant feeding recommendation by the Australian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergies (ASCIA). Subsequently, these guidelines also recommend regularly exposing your infant to all of the common allergens before they are 12 months. At times, it can be a little scary and confusing to do this, especially if you aren’t sure if bub is ready – feel free to contact our team or speak with your family doctor for additional support.
Unfortunately, although allergy prevention in infancy can be successful, whilst less common, food allergy can still develop in teens and even adults. Knowing the signs and symptoms of a food reaction can be lifesaving for families with a strong genetic history of atopic diseases (e.g. allergy, asthma, eczema).
If you or your partner have a family history of allergies, discuss an allergy prevention plan with our team to help you safely approach food allergen exposure and allergy prevention for your child during pregnancy and beyond.
If you need help with your pregnancy diet or introducing solids, contact Nutrition Prescription for a nutrition assessment with tailored nutrition recommendations. You can book through www.nutritionprescription.com.au or email info@nutritionprescription.com.au.
Nutrition Prescription’s accredited practising dietitians offer nutrition consultations that are specially designed for the whole family – from infants to adults and elderly, through to highly specialised fertility-preconception, paediatric, sports nutrition and food reaction services. We can assist with all your nutrition needs, including complex and chronic conditions – in English, Greek and Portuguese.
Disclaimer: The information in this article is generalised and is not intended to replace medical or dietetic advice, nor directly manage any medical conditions. For personalised advice, please speak with your doctor or contact us via info@nutritionprescription.com.au to make an appointment with one of our Dietitians.
